Ozzie Guillen needs a vacation

by The Wizard on Sep 29, 2007 1:05 PM CDT in Quotes Comment 13 comments

* Ozzie on the winter meetings:

"This year, I expect a little bit more because this is the first time we go with the bad flavor in our mouth to get this team back on track. Before, we go and talk about two guys. Now, we have a lot of things to do. I think the most important thing for us, the organization -- the Minor League system has to be stronger, our Minor League system has to be better. It's about everyone, every scout, every guy in Latin America to be part of this. Because remember, when we won, everyone had a ring. Now we lose, [people say], 'It's Ozzie's fault, it's [general manager] Kenny [Williams'] fault.' Wait a minute. You were in rookie ball, you got a ring and you don't even have one player in the big league camp. Well that's the same way we feel when we lose. It's everybody's fault or everybody's success."

Want the Minor League system to be better? Put more resources into it.

* Ozzie on player development:

"I cannot blame player development because I don't know exactly what is going on in their mind. Those kids we brought here, they have good enough talent to stay here. I'm not going to blame player development, I'm not going to blame managers in Triple-A, I'm not going to blame coaches at the big-league level. I can't blame those guys. Those guys have a lot of talent and they showed me that. They just came to the big-league level and they couldn't do it. They couldn't do it."

a lot of talent? where was that?

* Ozzie on his new approach to Spring Training:

"I'm going to take a different look this spring training than I did before. I'm going to spend a lot of time in Tucson (Ariz.) watching the minor league kids every day. I'm going to spend more time down there than I do with the big-league club, and I want to see good things. I want to see people make me smile like, 'Wow, I can count on this kid in a few years.' 'Wow, this kid might be here next month.' Stuff like that."

As I said above, put more resources into it. Things won't improve by "watching the minor league kids."

* Ozzie "warned that a stronger emphasis will be placed on winning exhibition games":

"We need to be creative and we have things to do as an organization, and we'll take it from there."

How about regular season games?

And look inside for an Ozzie quote that makes sense!

Ozzie on the free agent market:

"Listen, it doesn't matter who you bring in the free agents, trades, anything. The guy's (that are) going to do it, the guys, they are here. The guys under contract here, if we can bring Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Roberto Clemente and these guys have the same year they did this year, we're wasting our money then. It's what we have here, the base that we have here, that's the team we're going to have. Depending on how the guys play next year, the guys we have here, that's how we're going to play. It don't matter how much money you're going to spend, you have a base here. If that base don't play good, you're going to collapse."

This makes sense. *****

In other news,

Coop is considering bringing Mike Myers back next year.
The Phiiles were scouting Garland last week.
Jim plays 'Should they stay or should they go?'

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Huh

He's going to go to spring training and worry about the minor league players. What is up with that! Personally I'm more worried about what the big league team is doing, that's what I pay to see. If I want to watch a minor league team I'll watch the Railcats.
Sounds like the same again - minor league players playing while the major league players put in there one inning and are done for the day.

by Brush Back on Sep 29, 2007 1:19 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

uh

ozzie's talking about minor league camp. no one is forcing you to watch the minor league games in tuscon so i'm not sure what you're worried about. i would think most of us would want ozzie watching the minor league games in the morning. sounds a bit like his job.

by larry on Sep 29, 2007 2:48 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

From the 'I told you so' dept.

Baseball writer's ROY discussion:

White Sox third baseman/left fielder Josh Fields should get plenty of votes, but he figures to fall short in American League Rookie of the Year voting. ... Had he not spent the first two months of the season at Class AAA Charlotte, Josh Fields would probably be the White Sox' first Rookie of the Year since scrawny shortstop Ozzie Guillen (1985). Fields, who should be the Sox' starting left fielder in 2008, has put up impressive power numbers (22 home runs, 65 RBI) in just 353 at-bats, and he is going to get some votes.

He hits a lot of dingers!

PS. I'm NOT saying that he deserves those votes.

by The Wizard on Sep 29, 2007 1:33 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Sox lock up Pierzynski for another 2 years...

Official

Caulk the wagon.

by rebstock on Sep 29, 2007 3:47 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

that's fine

the salary is basically commensurate with what his expected value in those years would be. considering we don't have a catcher in the system, probably a sensible enough move.

by larry on Sep 29, 2007 3:55 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

press release!

whitesox.com:

The Chicago White Sox have agreed to terms on a two-year, $12.5 million contract extension with catcher A.J. Pierzynski. Pierzynski still will receive a salary of $5.85 million in 2008 as called for in the final year of the three-year contract he signed with the White Sox on December 19, 2005. Under terms of the extension, he will be paid $6.25 million each year from 2009-10.

by The Wizard on Sep 29, 2007 4:18 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs